Dog bite hospital admissions rise. Are new laws needed?
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Dog bite hospital admissions rise. Are new laws needed?
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The Guardian reports that "Hospital admissions for injuries caused by dogs have risen 5.2% in England, with young children suffering the most wounds. Around one in six hospital admissions for dog bite
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Forums » Off duty » News & media » Dog bite hospital admissions rise. Are new laws needed?
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Dog bite hospital admissions rise. Are new laws needed?
posted at 10/8/2012 8:57 AM BST
on bmj.com
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*Moderator*
Posts: 1449
First: 7/4/2011 Last: 23/5/2013 |
The Guardian reports that "Hospital admissions for injuries caused by dogs have risen 5.2% in England, with young children suffering the most wounds. Around one in six hospital admissions for dog bite and strike injuries involved a child aged under 10, according to provisional data from the Health and Social Care Information Centre. Of those, almost half required plastic surgery, and more than a quarter led to facial surgery.
The most recent figures, for the year ending April 2012, showed a total of 6,450 admissions for dog bites or strikes, an increase of 5.2% on the previous year. Of those 1,040 were of under-10s, with nearly half (494 admissions) requiring plastic surgery, and 27% (278 admissions) resulting in oral or facial surgery." The mix of dogs and kids isn't always the most sensible pairing but from this it seems that a minority of dog owners are not taking responsibility for their pet, causing injuries to children. I would be interested to know which breeds of dogs were involved in these incidents, and whether they were banned breeds who are known to be aggressive or whether the dogs were provoked or not properly controlled. Likewise, it would be interesting to know about parents' attitudes towards their children mixing with dogs (that are owned by another family) at parks or public places. http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/aug/09/dog-bite-hospital-admissions-rise http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1991/65/contents It seems like it is 'common sense' to keep potentially dangerous pets under control and protecting children from them. As the pet charities from above claim, it is a responsiblity and a privilege to own a dog and owners. Are new laws needed to control dogs from attacking people? Or should parents be more proactive in protecting their children? |
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Re: Dog bite hospital admissions rise. Are new laws needed?
posted at 10/8/2012 10:06 AM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 1271
First: 13/4/2010 Last: 23/5/2013 |
No new laws needed Matthew - just proper enforcement of existing ones which clearly state that it is the owners responsibilty to ensure their dogs are under proper control at all times. By definition if a dog bites anyone then the owner has failed in that duty and should themselves be prosecuted - every time. Like so many other things in life, if the authoritites adopted a proper "zero tolerance" approach before any dog got anywhere near the chance of biting someone then the problem would by and large disappear. Exactly the same applies to dog fouling, dropping litter, spitting out chewing gum, minor vandalism, speeding in 20 or 30mph zones, using mobile phones whilst driving (which i still see at least 4 or 5 tiems a day), etc. |
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Re: Dog bite hospital admissions rise. Are new laws needed?
posted at 10/8/2012 5:46 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 135
First: 25/5/2011 Last: 23/5/2013 |
I am glad to say that a new law came into usage on 9th April this year when it became compulsory for a dog to have a microchip before the owner can apply for a license. From the 1st of January next year it will be an offence not to have a dog chipped by the age of 8 weeks. It is already an offence to own an unlicensed dog. I personally would go further and employ inspectors to ensure that all potential dog owners satisfy a dog welfare assessment and prove that they are suitably equipped to look after the breed of dog that they wish to own before a license is granted. Having watched bright-eyed, tail-wagging working sheepdogs on the fells joyously bounding around under the guidance of a shepherd, I personally could never be as cruel as to keep a border collie given my sedentary lifestlye and working pattern. Any responsible breeder would ideally take one look at me and just tell me to leave. Yet if I were feckless, irresponsible, self-centred and inconsiderate, I could no doubt obtain a puppy of any breed from one of my similarly disinterested friends, claim it was my right to keep such a dog and quote my family's rural past as justification for my ill-considered decison. No good for the dog and ultimately, when it had ripped my home to pieces out of desperate boredom, no good for me. And yet in inner cities, with limited outside space, traffic and high unemployment I see some of the largest dog breeds pulling clearly inexperienced owners through crowded streets. Now I don't believe that any responsible rottweiler breeder approached by an unemployed, inner-city, towerblock dwelling 19 year-old with no dog experience would ever sell them two of their dogs - usually later named "Tyson and Bruno". If you adopt from the RSPCA or a dog rescue service they always check you out before they give you any dog. I cannot imagine the circumstances under which they would agree to you having a large dog to keep in a one-bedroom 15th floor flat where you live on benefits. It is no surprise to anybody except the feckless owner when they suddenly work out that they cannot afford the food, vet's bills for immunisation and care, kennelling when they go on holiday or the time to devote to actually looking after a dog as a pet. The unhappy creature is then at risk of becoming a danger to others. There should be no perceived right to keep a dog. We are no longer a rural workforce that has just moved into a town in the Industrial Revolution and wish to hold on to our culture. I suggest mandatory sterilisation of non-breeding stock of large breeds of dogs in cities and a five-year lead-in to the mandatory euthanasia of all unchipped strays. Battersea Dogs Home should one day only be full of dearly loved pets, there solely for re-homing . How non-experienced people decide to take on and then be allowed to keep a potentially aggressive dog as a family pet, I simply cannot explain. Anybody interested in this subject should watch a television programme called The Dog Whisperer and see how his companion pit-bull "Daddy" behaves. You will then see how this breed can be a wonderful companion and loyal family pet. The tragedy of their outlawing in this country could have been avoided had strict controls been in place to restrict the unscrupulous getting hold of them. For the sake of other breeds, responsible owners denied the pleaure of them and any future victims of bites we have to stop accepting any further mismatch of man and dog and environment. We will have to be cruel to be kind. |
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